Aussie Shoppers Furious Over "Absolute Scam"

Newsroom

Posted on January 13, 2017

Furious customers are lashing out at an popular clothing company, accusing them of running a "VIP con" that has set them back hundreds of dollars.

Clare from Melbourne happened across Popcherry on her Instagram feed last October in a sponsored post advertising a $10 playsuit; however, when she clicked through to the website, the price had jumped to nearly $60.

"It only came at a discounted price of $10 if you signed up for a 'VIP membership'," she explains. "I signed up... and have only just realised Popcherry's been charging my credit card $50 a month.

"It gives me a total of $150 store credit, but I don't really like any of their products. I only wanted the one $10 playsuit!"

Clare's $10 playsuit

And Clare isn't the only customer complaining of confusing fine print; Popcherry's Product Review page is flooded with similar stories.

"Absolute scam!" one user wrote. "They... refuse to refund. So far they have taken $200."

Another upset customer posted: "I didn't realise I was being signed up to the VIP membership. Then I couldn't unsubscribe via email, I had to call."

The VIP membership in question is swimming in fine print; members are charged $50 a month in exchange for store credit, although Popcherry do have a "Skip The Month" policy that technically allows shoppers to opt-out.

The catch, though, is that the Skip The Month window is only five days long and, users say, tricky to navigate.

"I read the fine print so I knew exactly what it involved and I was happy to join as a VIP and use the Skip The Month facility," Naomi wrote online. "However I attempted to skip the month on the first five days in December and it wouldn't allow me to do it - it was greyed out.

"I sent an email to Popcherry but they still deducted my credit card. I rang them and they refunded [but] next month rolled around, I went to skip the month and again it was greyed out."

The company have deactivated the comments section on their Facebook page and, even more concerningly, have been accused of generating false reviews in order to boost their review rating.